The book is well presented, but is it too meandering? If you look at it from Gideon Haigh’s point of view, he has been driven by a TRUMPER PASSION, nay an obsession! And you can’t circumscribe a man who is in the throes of such an emotion. We will have to give Haigh considerable leeway, as he strives to give a wholeness to the Trumper story.
In the last paragraph of thisbook, the author, GideonHaigh, writes: “Has Smithheard of Victor Trumper, I wondered? Possibly. George Beldam? Definitely not. Never mind: he sort of knows them anyway.”
Now, who is Smith? It’s Steve Smith, the present Australian captain, who was the understudy to Michael Clarke last year, when Haigh saw him practising at the Oval during the Ashes series.
WHO IS VICTOR TRUMPER? It may be regarded as sacrilege to even pose this question, but just as Haigh is doubtful whether Smith knows about Trumper, not many may even recall this star Australian batsman, who passed away in 1915 after having been supposed to have been born on November 2, 1877 (supposed because no official records are available).
Now what was so special about Trumper? In his heyday, he was the most popular cricketer in Australia and acknowledged to be the best batsman in the world. Albert Knight waxes lyrical in a passage from The Complete Cricketer (1906), which appears as an epigraph in Chapter 5 of Haigh’s offering, “In Victor Trumper we have seen the very poetry and heard the deep and wonderful music of batsmanship. Not the structures of a great mentality, not the argument of logic, but a sweet and simple strain of beauty, the gift of the gods alone. Stylish in the highest sense, orthodox, yet breaking all canons of style, Trumper is just himself.”
It’s time to take a look at George Beldam. An amateur batsman of merit and a photographer with ideas who improved as he went along, Beldam hit pay dirt in the English summer of 1905 at the Oval when he captured on his Adams Videx camera Victor Trumper in practice, jumping out with bat raised in preparation for a straight drive. The batsman’s right foot is partially grounded while the left hangs in the air.
Denne historien er fra November 5, 2016-utgaven av Sportstar.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 5, 2016-utgaven av Sportstar.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears
Organisers in Japan cancelled the amateur portion of the Tokyo marathon, affecting around 38,000 runners, on fears about the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan.
Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT
What should the criteria be? What weight should be attached to each criterion? And what should not be considered as valid criteria?
The making of a batting behemoth
If Steve Smith dominated the Ashes in England in a dramatic, blockbuster fashion then his like for like a replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, is the Next Big Thing after an exciting summer of run-glut.
WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...
It was an evening of nostalgia and celebration when the Sportstar Aces awards were given away in Mumbai.
A question of recognition
After a week of awards, one wonders if it’s only a departed player that one will be named after.
Thinking straight, thinking right!
“A lot depends on when I am bowling and what is required from me. That’s something I do when I play for India and I try to follow the same thing in the domestic circuit,” says Yuzvendra Chahal.
The Big Three and the Next Gen
Though the Big Three are very unlikely to retire during the same year, Judy Murray, mother of Andy, echoed the sentiments of many fans worried about the impact of their departures.
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.
Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room
Bangladesh quick Abu Jayed Rahi is new in the red-ball arena, but his swing brings back old memories — of James Anderson on green tops.
The league of the masses
With traditional clubs locking horns with the hard-working nurseries of the game, the I-League will continue to keep the beating heart of Indian football alive despite official apathy.
